Korgscrew
Group: Super Admins
Posts: 3511
Joined: Dec. 1999 |
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Posted: April 15 2004, 17:44 |
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I think the best way to describe him would be an eccentric. He was leader of The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band in the late 1960s and early 70s, a quite surreal group whose track 'The Intro and The Outro' featured some resemblances to what Viv later did with Mike at the end of Tubular Bells Part One (though the Bonzos' version was far more off the wall, most memorably including the line "...and looking very cool over there, Adolf Hitler on vibes"). The Bonzos were recording at The Manor while Mike was there working on Tubular Bells in 1972, so he asked Viv to contribute.
His role on Tubular Bells II was taken by Alan Rickman (under the guise of 'A Strolling Player') but a single was issued with Viv which, as you already know, is the one used for the video you've seen.
Viv also did a series as part of the John Peel show on Radio 1, called Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, the bizarre tales of life in a fictional country house. A film was also made, which mostly out of sheer eccentricity was shot in sepia-tinted black and white.
The surreal yet stately humour of Viv's commentary on the Boxed version of The Sailor's Hornpipe was very much evident in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, especially the radio series - it's well worth a listen if you like that sort of thing (and if you can get a chance to hear it).
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